Background
Smith was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and became a comedian active in the vaudeville era.
Smith was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and became a comedian active in the vaudeville era.
After working under direction of Mack Sennett at the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company in New York, Smith moved to Los Angeles, California. While Howell was contracted at Universal Studios, Smith directed her in films described in the book Clown Princes and Court Jesters as, "some of Universal"s most memorable comedies of the twenties". Smith directed the Marx Brothers in 1921 in their first film, titled Humor Risk, which has since been lost.
In 1925, Smith"s directing work included films starring Bert Roach, Neely Edwards, and Charles Puffy.
His contributions at Universal included a series of comedy films called "The Collegians". Vaudeville
Richard Smith was active in the field of comedy, and participated in the vaudeville scene.
The two utilized the title of a previously known vaudeville group, and performed together as Howell and Howell. The Howell and Howell duo performed together for three years.
Their performances included burlesque and vaudeville.
Mack Sennett directed Smith at the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company in New New York Sennett offered Smith a chance to go with him when he started the company Keystone Studios, but he declined the opportunity. Film director
The two starred together in reels including Dad"s Dollars and Dirty Doings, a comedy by L-KO Kompany.
In the book Clown Princes and Court Jesters, authors Kalton C. Lahue and Samuel Gill describe these films directed by Smith and starring Howell as "low-burlesque charades and as such were slanted toward the neighborhood and second-run houses, where they found receptive audiences."
He served as director in 1921 of Humor Risk, the first film starring the Marx Brothers.
Smith directed actors including Bert Roach and Neely Edwards in the 1925 film A Nice Pickle, and Charles Puffy the same year in Muddled Up. After Howell retired from film in the 1926, Smith kept up with his contracted work at Universal and wrote a set of comedy films called "The Collegians".
Smith died in 1937 in Los Angeles, California, at fifty years old.